After Sen. Daniel Inouye’s death, attention is expected to focus quickly as Democratic Rep. Colleen Hanabusa as his possible successor.

Hanabusa was elected to the House in 2010 after spending more than a decade in the Hawaii Senate. Over the span of her career, Hanabusa established herself as a close ally of Inouye, a Democrat and political giant in Hawaii.

Inouye’s final wish was for Hanabusa to be appointed to his seat, a message he conveyed to the governor in a letter delivered at 11 a.m. Hawaiian time Monday, according to the late senator’s office.

Hanabusa fell short in a May 2010 special election to fill the seat Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, vacated to run for governor that year, but she won a full term in the general election. She is currently the longest-serving member in the state’s House delegation — her soon to be colleague, incoming Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, has yet to be sworn in.

Under state law, Abercrombie must name a member of Inouye’s party to serve until 2014, when a special election would be held. The winner of the election would serve until 2016, when Inouye’s term expires. The state Democratic Party will present the governor with a list of at least three candidates to choose from.

Democratic officials say they expect Abercrombie to move quickly to name Inouye’s successor.

Two formidable former GOP officeholders are seen as potential contenders for the seat in 2014: former Gov. Linda Lingle and former Rep. Charles Djou. Both fell short in the November elections — Lingle ran for Senate, while Djou lost a House bid.